


I Was Never That Strong

by Calamity_Hero_Awakens



Category: Marble Hornets
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Background Character Death, Background Relationships, Bisexual Male Character, F/F, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Holding Hands, Implied Relationships, Lesbian Character, M/M, Major Character Undeath, Men Crying, Nesting, Nonbinary Character, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Rain, Redemption, Sharing a Body, Sort Of, Spoilers, Wordcount: 1.000-3.000, might become multichaptered if y'all like it idk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:15:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29529033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Calamity_Hero_Awakens/pseuds/Calamity_Hero_Awakens
Summary: With the help of a new friend, Skully gets to reunite with an old friend. They hope the latter isn't too upset with them.*Major spoilers for Issue 3 of the Marble Hornets comic*
Relationships: Jessica/Taylor, past Jay Merrick/Timothy Wright
Kudos: 15





	I Was Never That Strong

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather sleep on the couch?” Jessica asked, pulling all of her spare blankets from the top of her closet and handing them to Skully. “I can’t imagine the floor is very comfortable.”

“This is fine, thank you,” Skully replied, taking the blankets when they were handed to them and dumping them on the floor in the corner of the room beneath the window. With their empire of blankets, Skully began to unfold them, laying them out in a heap on the floor several layers thick and bunching up the edges to create a little bowl shape to lay in. It was just big enough for one person if they curled up but Skully obviously intended that.

“Would you at least like a pillow?” Jessica offered, watching Skully slip off their shoes and set them against the wall.

“That would be nice,” Skully replied and Jessica handed them one of hers which they dropped down into their nest-like bed.

“Thank you for letting me stay the night. I know this isn’t the safest arrangement but it’s nice to have a dry, warm place for one night.”

Jessica gave them a small smile. “It’s no trouble.”

The person still made her nervous, but that was mostly because of their previous meetings and the constant nightmares that featured them. She knew she had no reason to fear them now, but part of her brain associated them with danger and it was a hard thing to simply wipe away. She knew it would take time for her to grow accustomed to Skully but she did her best to be friendly and hospitable.

“All the same, I appreciate it,” Skully replied as they pulled off their gloves and unbuttoned their jacket and shrugged it off, setting the items on top of their shoes. Jessica was surprised to find a red and black flannel beneath the jacket.

“I like your shirt,” Jessica commented, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

“Thanks,” Skully replied, their voice having changed to one that Jessica had heard before on several of the video files that were now saved on her computer.

“Tim gave it to me,” Skully - no, this was most definitely the sad voice of Jay - replied, staring down through the holes in the mask to look at the shirt.

A silence settled over the room then and Skully turned away, settling down in his bed and tucking the pillow beneath his head. Jessica laid down too, turning on her side to face the wall so that she wasn’t prying on the other but she tossed and turned until she was back on her side, facing the person.

“Skully?” Jessica asked quietly, not wanting to bother them if they were asleep, but they grunted in acknowledgement.

“Are you excited to see him tomorrow?”

Skully remained quiet for a long moment before answering. “I have mixed feelings.”

“That’s understandable,” Jessica said, turning onto her back to stare at the ceiling.

Skully gave a noncommittal noise of indifference before huffing a sigh and then going quiet.

The orange streetlight from outside illuminated the corner where Skully laid and provided a low light for the room. Though Jessica’s insomnia kept her awake for most of the night, it was easier to fall asleep with the sound of Skully’s gentle breathing from across the room and the rain tapping against the glass of the window.

📼 📼 📼

“How are you feeling, Skully?” Taylor asked once Jessica and Skully had buckled up. She had agreed to drive them to the meeting point Jessica had set up with Tim several days earlier. No one was comfortable with meeting near the forest or any place that might be abandoned, but they also didn’t want to meet in a crowded place and they had settled on a large field in the country, no houses for miles.

“I’m alright,” Skully replied, staring out the window and watching the rain fall. Their jacket was buttoned all the way up and the blue hood was pulled over their head, thoroughly hiding their identity.

Jessica turned around in her seat, looking back at Skully. “I’m sure he’ll be excited to see you. It’s been several years, after all.”

“I doubt he will,” Skully dismally replied, continuing to stare out the window. Their fingers twitched against the armrest of the door and they mumbled quietly to themself behind the mask. Neither Jessica nor Taylor could hear much of it clearly but they could hear two distinctly different voices arguing quietly.

The women did their best to try and ignore Skully, giving them some time to themself as Taylor reached over and laced her fingers with Jessica’s. Jessica still wasn’t used to the affection but she enjoyed it nonetheless.

The ride to their agreed meeting place was a boring one, trees and fields flying past the windows until Taylor was finally pulling off to the side of the road, pulling into the grass so that her car wouldn’t be hit and then turning the car off. Neither Tim nor his car were anywhere to be seen and that made Skully relax. They still had a bit of time before he got there.

Opening their car doors, the three people exited the car, closing the doors behind themselves and moving to stand out in the field. The grass had been cut recently so it wasn’t too high but the rain from the previous night that had dwindled to a light drizzle meant the field was soaking wet, their shoes sinking into the earth. The rain had let up during the drive but the sky was still dangerously overcast, threatening another shower at any minute.

A small distance from the car, Taylor and Jessica stood together, their fingers still laced as they watched Skully pace back and forth. Their feet sunk into the wet mix of mud and grass as they moved but they didn’t let it slow them down any. Mumbling quietly to themself, they paced back and forth, looking down at the ground, up at the sky, over to the women, but always glancing back to the road for any sign of Tim’s arrival.

They didn’t have to wait long. Nearly ten minutes after they arrived, a silver car slowly rolled up, pulling off to the side of the road and parking behind Taylor’s car. The engine was cut off almost as soon as the car had stopped and a tired looking man emerged from the driver’s seat. His hands were shoved deep into his jeans pockets, arms stiff in an obviously awkward and uncomfortable position as he approached the women. He looked different from the last time Jessica had seen him, although not much. His facial hair had grown out more and he looked perpetually exhausted.

“Hey, Tim,” Jessica greeted him, giving the man a hug which he returned. She then introduced him to her partner.

“This is Taylor,” she said, stepping out of the way so that they could shake hands - something Tim looked awkward about, though that was just him - and then she gestured to Skully. “And this is Skully.”

Tim’s eyes turned to look at Skully and he froze in place, entire body tensing. Jessica figured that was an appropriate reaction. She hadn’t told him what to expect, just that she had someone for him to meet.

“Who’s he?” Tim asked, voice low.

“They are…” Jessica trailed off, not quite sure how to explain it. “Skully, you want to introduce yourself to Tim?”

Skully stepped forward and Tim tensed even more, looking like he might throw a punch any minute. Skully approached him, though they kept their distance.

“Hello, Tim,” they greeted and Tim’s jaw clenched.

“Who are you?”

Skully hesitated before slowly lifting the mask, taking it off and holding it at their side. They stared at the ground for a moment, afraid to meet Tim’s eyes before finally lifting their chin to look at the man.

Tim’s expression fell, entire body relaxing in an instant as he stared at the familiar face of the person. A lump had quickly formed in his throat and his knees felt weak. He nearly expected himself to collapse and when he didn’t, he pushed his way past the lump in his throat to let out a strangled noise.

“Jay?”

Tears welled in Tim’s eyes before immediately spilling over, running down his cheeks in a steady stream. The man didn’t waste another second, running over to Jay and nearly slipping in the mud before throwing his arms around the man’s shoulders, burying his face in Jay’s chest. Jay returned the embrace, face pushing into the side of Tim’s.

Tim stood there, breathing heavily as he cried into Jay’s jacket before he composed himself enough to pull his face back to see the man’s face.

“Is it really you, Jay?” he whispered, voice wavering and fists holding tightly to the back of Jay’s jacket.

“Sort of,” Jay replied, “but not exactly.”

Tim’s face fell a bit and he looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t freak out,” Jay said, glancing off to the side, an old nervous habit of his.

Releasing Tim, he moved back just a step so that Tim would be able to see his face well before he looked away from the man. His facial features began to shift, contorting into soft lines and blonde hair.

Tim’s eyes were wide and he stared in horror and confusion. “Amy?”

Before he could say much more, Skully’s face shifted again to a face Tim didn’t recognize, the look staying for only a moment before shifting to a fourth face. This one was a face that Tim knew all too well, one he had hoped to never see again, and he violently pushed away from Skully, pushing Alex away. A high pitched scream that lingered only in the background shook Skully’s brain and they grabbed their head, trying to shake the feeling away before pushing their mask back on. The sound grew quiet and they turned away to gather their thoughts before looking back at Tim.

Letting out a breath, Skully finally said, “I carry many, the many that have been broken and could not be fixed. So yes, I am them, but I am also not. I am a vessel to carry them.”

Tim looked like he was about to cry again, his eyes glassy, but there was still some spark of hope in his eyes. “But you’re still them, right? You’re not just taking their faces, they’re still there.”

“Yes,” Skully replied, feeling a light rain begin to wet their jacket. They tilted their face up to look at the sky and a few drops of water landed in their eyes.

“Perhaps it would be best to speak somewhere dry,” Skully suggested and Tim stared at him for another moment before nodding.

“That sounds good.”

The two of them headed back toward the cars, Taylor and Jessica already climbing into their vehicle. Tim still seemed wary of Skully, but he was willing to give them a chance, and that was all Skully really wanted.

**Author's Note:**

> This was pretty much a simplified version of an idea I had for a full length fic I wanted to write but know I never will.


End file.
